Temperatures to decrease today

Hot, dry winds continued to sweep in from the inland deserts Monday, bringing with them unusually warm weather in Newport-Mesa and red-flag warnings in much of Southern California.

No records were broken here Monday, though Newport Beach saw a high of 83. Sunday’s scorcher of 85, however, was the highest temperature for the date in more than 50 years.

Temperatures should begin to fall today and Wednesday, with highs in the 70s and returning to the seasonal norm by the end of the week, according to the National Weather Service.

Fog will begin rolling in Wednesday night, forecaster Stan Wasowski said. Drivers are warned to operate their vehicles with caution, keeping their headlights on low beams.

Southern California has seen one of its driest years in history, with only 2.2 inches of rain since July 1, national weather forecasters said.

— Kelly Strodl